Piper PA-28-181 N8259M

Summary

On 7 March 1997 at about 23:40 local time, a Piper PA-28-181 registered N8259M was involved in an accident near Mosinee, Wisconsin, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 March 1997 at 23:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Mosinee, Wisconsin, United States

Coordinates

44.7795, -89.6809

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-181

Registration

N8259M

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Green Bay → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI97LA081

Nobody was injured.

The formation of carburetor ice and the instructor pilot's failure to recognize conditions leading to carburetor icing and to take appropriate preventative action. Factors relating to this accident were the late application of carburetor heat, the icing conditions and snow.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The dual student stated that they were holding in instrument meteorological conditions at 4,000 feet mean sea level (msl) when Minneapolis air route traffic control center (ARTCC) cleared them for the approach. ' We were told overfly the airport at 4,000 feet on the localizer back course and then intercept the ILS. As I left the holding pattern, the engine shook violently for 2 to 3 seconds, followed by complete engine failure. I established a glide and declared an emergency with ARTCC.' The pilots attempted to restart the engine. The airplane broke out of the clouds at approximately 500 feet above the ground and over a forest. The dual student said, 'I looked for the least dense area and headed for that site. We began encountering the trees just as I was attempting to stall the plane. We came to rest in a wooded, swampy area.' Examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies. According to Department of Transportation/FAA/CT-82/44 Publication: Light Aircraft Piston Engine Carburetor Ice Detector/Warning Device Sensitivity/Effectiveness, June 1982, Carburetor Icing Probability Chart; the temperature (21 degrees Fahrenheit) and dew point (16 degrees Fahrenheit) at the time the airplane lost power places the probability for carburetor icing in the 'icing - glide and cruise power' area of the chart.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.